Sam Allison, a 21-year-old skateboarder from East Sussex, is on a world trip of his own making. From Brighton to Tangier Morocco, he’s going to skateboard the whole 1500 mile journey. Allison will be skating an average of 30 miles a day for the next 55 days. This positive and impactful challenge is meant to encourage fundraising and donations to the Ben Raemers Foundation. He began his journey on Wednesday, riding away from Brighton. He’s going to Newhaven to pick up a ferry to France.
The Ben Raemers Foundation is committed to enhancing the mental health of the skating community. Allison’s challenge is based on his own experience navigating episodes of mental and emotional distress. He expressed his motivation, stating, “Ever since then, I have had it in the back of my mind to raise awareness for mental health in the skating community.”
As much as he’s looking forward to the challenge, Allison recognizes the specific circumstances of the mountain that he’s up against. He’s ambling along despite some troubling foot pain that will be an issue as he starts to ramp up his mileage. Since he’s not doing this alone, at the start of his journey, a collective of like-minded skaters connects with him to gear up and provide encouragement. His buddy Lucas Perrin joins him on a bike for much of the journey. Perrin’s role is both unique and critical. He is specifically tasked with keeping Allison happy, hydrated, and oriented while they travel across all manners of terrain.
Allison’s mother, Holly Skinner, has taken to the skating culture as well. At 50, having recently started skating herself, she expressed just how energizing her son’s journey has been. And now her new favorite thing—I love it, she told me. Her support adds a charming touch to Allison’s challenge and goes to show the close-knit nature of their family.
Allison hopes to use his journey to raise funds and awareness for the dangers of distracted driving. If anything, he hopes to form an engaged, passionate community on the inside. He is convinced that engaging with each other in person is the key to building empathy that these times require. “That’s what I wanted – bringing people together,” he explained.
Sam Allison on his journey across Europe towards Africa
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Yet despite challenging himself physically and mentally, he remains consistent with his mission to raise awareness for mental health. His journey is more than just the miles. It’s simply meant to start a discussion on mental health challenges that affect many of those in the skating world.
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